Flours
by sillybillyxo
Summary: Overwhelmed by guilty feelings from his fight with Izzie, George endeavors to make up with her with a little help from Alex. Heavily implied AlexIzzie♡, GeorgeIzzie friendship, GeorgeAlex friendship. Closure at the end of 3.09, please read! ♡♡♡
1. Alex

Hey guys! So, after 3.09 I was desperately craving some IzzieGeorge closure, and since we didn't get it in 3.10, I decided to write it myself.

Also, I am a hugeeee AlexIzzie fan, so of course I had so include a little of that! ;)

This is kind of like a really long one shot, and will be done in two parts.

So I'm gonna shut and let you read now! Please enjoy, and review if liked it! Feedback is my crack, seriously. ♥

Title: Flours  
Author: sillybillyxo  
Pairing: GeorgeIzzie friendship, GeorgeAlex friendship, _heavily_ implied AlexIzzie.  
Spoilers: Set at the end of 3.09  
Summary: Overwhelmed by his guilty feelings from his fight with Izzie, George endeavors to make up with her with a little help from Alex.  
Rating: Probably T.. a bit of swearing. Nothing major.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, nor am I making any money from the writing of this fic

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Flours

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Frustrated and emotionally exhausted, George flung his tired body down onto one of Joe's familiar bar stools.

"A shot of Jack, Joe," George ordered hastily as he lay his head in his hands. It had been one hell of a day; the kind of a day that came with problems only alcohol was capable of fixing. And that was exactly how George planned to drown today out of his memory – by drinking.

But today hadn't been one of the regular, run-of-the-mill bad days that George was used to having to flood out of his memory. He hadn't been late for rounds, he hadn't contracted syphilis, and he hadn't even forced to buy tampons today. No. Today had been a much, much worse kind of bad day than George was used to.

His Dad was in the hospital, having been diagnosed with not one, not two, but_ three_ different disorders. George's family had always stressed him out, but having them all together in his Dad's hospital room had brought his stress levels to a whole new level. Plus, despite the oh-so comforting words of everyone around him, George was not so sure his Dad was going to be "fine". Actually, he was presently fearing quite the opposite, and with good reason. George had learned fast since coming to Seattle Grace that the word _fine _was never associated with anything good. The word _fine_ seemed to carry a curse, and it was really a word George could do without hearing for the rest of his life.

On top of that, two of George's best friends had not only betrayed him, but the entire hospital today. George just didn't get how Cristina and Burke could have done that. How they could have kept such a huge, life-threatening secret from everyone. He couldn't fathom how it had happened. One day, everything had been normal. George had been "Burke's guy" and was crashing on his couch. Then, all of a sudden, Burke is about to take George's fathers life into his own shaky hands without being fully qualified to do so. Today it had all blown up when Cristina had finally gone to the Chief and told him the truth, and although he was very angry at them right now, George was even more scared. No one knew what the repercussions of this secret coming out were going to be, and although they had betrayed him, he still cared about Burke and Cristina. George was scared for them, and he couldn't help but fear the worse. Then again, he had been doing that a lot lately.

Then there was Callie. Callie: the one girl who, for the first time in his life, made George feel appreciated. Made him feel loved. The one person who seemed to genuinely care about him, and what does she do? She cheats on him. With Mark _fucking_ Sloane. And yes, George could admit he hadn't treated her perfectly in the past, but really – what choice did he have? His best friend was going through hell, and he needed to be there for her. If Callie couldn't understand that, that was her problem. Izzie's fiancé had died, and…

Izzie.

The knot in George's stomach twisted even tighter at the thought of her. Recalling what had happened between them today, he felt sick. Memories of the horrible things he had said to her came flooding back, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, willing them to vanish.

Yes. It had been a bad day for George. A _very_ bad day.

The clinking sound of Joe resting George's shot down onto the counter in front of him luckily disrupted his thoughts. Hungrily, he raised the glass to his lips, preparing himself to drink when, out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention. Alex had slid into the barstool next to him.

Figuring he would most certainly need it now, George downed his shot, slamming it down on the counter and signaling his dire need of another.

"O'Malley," Alex nodded, greeting him with a half-smile. From the look on his face, George could tell Alex wasn't in the mood to pick a fight with him tonight. His expression seemed to mirror George's own – Alex looked drained.

It was a huge relief, actually, as George wasn't in the mood for fighting either. Plus, George actually liked Alex when he acted like a half-decent human being. It was a feat many thought him incapable of, but George knew better.

"Hey Alex."

Joe replaced the empty shot glass in front of George with a full one, and then turned to Alex.

Alex ordered before even having to be asked. "I'll have what he's having."

Joe cocked an eyebrow, looking back and forth between the two interns and noticing the looks of exhaustion plain on both their faces. "Geeze guys, rough day or what?"

Alex and George looked at each other, exchanging knowing glances. Everyone at the hospital had been pretty sapped about finding out what happened with Burke and Cristina.

"Something like that…" Alex chuckled in response.

Joe left to the back of the bar, deciding not to press the issue any further. Alex turned to face George and finally broke the thick silence between them.

"Man, I'm sorry about your Dad," Alex said uneasily.

"Thanks. You really don't have to say that, but thanks," George replied, only slightly surprised at Alex's usually uncharacteristic compassion. Despite what everyone thought of him, George knew how Alex could be.

"Yeah, well…" Alex trailed off. "You know… he's gonna be fi-"

"_Fine_?" George finished, cutting him off. For what seemed like the first time in ages, the corners of his lips tugged upwards into a smile. "Fine? Seriously?" Alex was smiling now too, realizing is mistake. "Did you seriously just try to make me feel better about my dad by using the _f-word_?"

Unable to contain themselves, both interns broke out into an uproar of laughter. The full effects of the exhausting and frustrating day they had was hitting them hard.

Alex strained to compose himself. "It's just - It's just what you say, you know?"

George nodded, smiling back. "I can't believe you just used the f-word." But thinking about the word fine had him thinking of Izzie. Izzie was the ultimate abuser of the word fine. If anybody had put the curse on the word fine, it was Izzie.

"You know what's funny?" George said. "I'm more worried about _Izzie_ than my Dad. I'm more worried about her than Burke, Cristina, Callie, or my very sick Dad. Isn't that so funny? I mean, I have all this important stuff going on right now, and all I can do is sit here and think about how shitty I feel for what I did. I mean, I can't believe I did that to her. God, I feel so shitty," he blurted, concluding his rant and staring into the still full glass of murky alcohol in front of him.

Alex's expression immediately changed; the amusement on his face was immediately replaced by a defensive anger. "What? What did you do to Izzie?" he demanded, fists clenching as he spoke.

George solemnly forced himself to meet Alex's gaze. "I played the Denny card.

I was scared and frustrated and I wasn't thinking, and I brought up Denny. I pretty much called her a bad doctor, right in front of my parents. God, I can't believe I did that. Why did I do that?" George said, talking to himself really more than Alex.

"What? What the fuck, Bambi?" Alex seethed.

"I know!" George pushed the shot away from his face, the smell suddenly becoming overwhelming; the sick feeling had returned to his stomach. "I feel like the shittiest friend in the world."

Alex looked away from George, gripping the counter of the bar in frustration. "Why the fuck did you say that? Seriously. That's the last thing she needs right now."

George groaned, rubbing his temples. "I have no idea. I was just trying to protect my Dad, and I didn't know what else to do. She had somehow convinced them to switch the surgery back to Burke! I didn't know what else to do, so I guess I panicked."

Alex seemed to understand, but still shot him a disgusted look. "It's no excuse."

"I didn't mean what I said. I mean, of course I didn't. I think she's a great doctor."

"She _is _a great doctor," Alex cut in, warranting himself a bemused look from George.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

Alex tried to suppress his grin, the slightest hint of a blush forming on his stubbled cheeks. "Yeah. Yeah I think I do. Well - I know I do. I just -" Alex sighed, rubbing his temples. Talking about Izzie had never been easy for him. "She's _Izzie_, you know?"

George smiled. "Yeah, I do know."

Alex looked down, trying to avoid George's questions by focusing his attention picking open a peanut shell.

"For what it's worth," George started. "Izzie loves you. I know she does. She just-"

"Can't?" Alex finished for him. "I know, she told me." He stared back down at the shell in his hands and sighed. "She doesn't love me."

"Oh yes she does."

"Yeah?" replied Alex, deciding to play along. "And just how do you know that?"

"Because she told me."

Alex looked up abruptly, having been startled by what George had said. Izzie had never even told Alex she loved him, but she had told George?

"After you slept with Olivia, she told me. She told me she was in love you. That's why she couldn't just let it go and move on. That's why she was so mad at us for even being civil to you. She was in love with you and you cheated on her."

Alex formed a fist around the shell he was holding and cracked it. "Biggest fucking mistake of my life…" he muttered.

"I really hated you for doing that."

"I really hated myself for doing that," Alex sighed, eyes still to the floor. "I still do."

George watched Alex as he took his anguish out on the shells in front of them, cracking them into small pieces under the weight of his fingers. He finally gathered the courage to ask Alex the question he had always wanted the answer to. "Why did you do it?"

Alex looked up in surprise, debating on whether or not he should even bother answering. "Honestly?" he asked.

George nodded. "Because I was scared. I'd never felt that way about anyone before. My whole life I've only ever loved two people – my mom and my sister. Every girlfriend I ever had was just someone to fuck, someone to be seen with, something to do on a Saturday night. No one had really ever meant anything to me before, you know? No one had ever really mattered."

"Izzie," Alex continued. "She was so different from everyone else. She fucked with my head. She was kind and she was a good person, and what was even weirder is that she saw good things in me. No one ever really sees good things in me, and it scared the hell out of me, so I pushed her away. And when she caught us, when she caught Olivia and me together, the look on her face just stuck with me. Right then, I knew I loved her, and that I fucked up - bad."

"And now I'd do anything to take it back." Alex picked up the shot Joe had finally placed in front of him, downing it quickly. He allowed the burning sensation of the alcohol to linger in the back of his throat while George silently took in everything he had said.

"You love her?"

Alex smiled. "Yep. For the first time in my life, I love someone. I love Izzie… Only now it's too late. Ironic, isn't it?" he trailed off.

"It's defiantly not too late."

"O'Malley, please. She may have thought she loved me before, but then she met Denny," Alex spat out his name. "She fell in love with Denny. Real love. What she may or may not have felt for me was nothing compared to what she felt for him. He asked her to _marry_ him and she said yes. If he hadn't died, she'd be walking down the aisle now. She'd be Izzie Stevens-Duquette."

Alex sighed again. "I'm not half the man Denny was, and I never will be. She said it herself."

"You know," George started. "I know Izzie pretty well. I know her better than she even knows herself. And, I know why she said yes to Denny. "

"Uh, so does everyone George. Because she loved him."

"She didn't say yes. Not at first anyways. He made this huge proposal-speech, declaration-of-love-thing, and she just walked away. She wasn't even going to say yes until she realized something."

Alex stared at George, not quite understanding where he was going with this. "What did she realize?"

"That Denny didn't make her feel like a "pretty girl". That's why she wanted to marry him. He didn't objectify her, he didn't love her for her looks, and Izzie knew that he would never, ever hurt her. He was a safe choice, and she said yes."

Alex just stared at George blankly. "Well, don't you get it?"

"Uh, no," Alex replied.

"Denny was the opposite of you, Alex! You weren't the safe choice, you hurt her in the past, and you defiantly made her feel like a "pretty girl". She wanted the opposite of you; she wanted to forget you. And the difference is, if it were you proposing, she never would have hesitated. So trust me, Alex, I know Izzie. I know the way her mind works and I know that, as much as she tried to deny it, it is defiantly not too late."

Alex sat there, at a complete loss for words. He was desperately trying to process everything that had just been said, mainly trying to figure out if it could really be true.

"Wow," Alex started. "I, um, I never really thought of it that way…"

"I can tell," George smiled.

"But she stole a heart from UNOS for him. She put the medical career she worked so hard for at a major risk…"

"I'm not saying she didn't love him. I know she loved him. But if you don't think she would have done the same for you, you're crazy. If it were you in that hospital bed, Izzie would have stolen a helicopter and held Dr. Hahn at _gunpoint_ until she got you a heart. She would have done anything."

Alex just stared off into space. It was hard to fathom, but George actually could be right. Izzie really could still be in love with him. Maybe it wasn't too late for them.

"So, just give her some time to heal.," George continued. "In the meantime, just be a good friend to her. I know you two will end up together eventually – you have to, because your…" George paused. "Your _Alex & Izzie_."

Alex broke into a smile – a real, genuine smile that George had only seen him bear a handful of times since they had met. He actually looked happy, and George really hadn't seen Alex look happy for a very long time, now that he thought of it. In fact, the only times George had ever seen Alex happy, he was with Izzie.

"O'Malley, I mean, thanks for saying that," Alex tried to cover his grin with the back of his hand, suddenly aware of his vulnerability. "I hope your right about all of this."

George smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I am."

"Just be there for her, and everything will work itself out." As soon as the sentence left his lips, George immediately felt his sick feeling come on again.

"The way I wasn't today," he groaned.

Alex's smile dropped almost as soon as it had come as he remembered what George had told him earlier. "Fuck, man. Did you at least apologize to her?"

"Yes! Of course I did. I waited on the couch for her to come home until 10 o' clock tonight. When she finally got in, I tried apologizing, but she said I 'didn't get to apologize to her'. She said 'maybe tomorrow'. I didn't know what else to do," George whined. "She went upstairs to bed and I came here."

George thought of Izzie's face when she had come home that night. What hurt the most was that she wasn't even mad at him; at least anger George knew how to deal with. When George looked into her eyes, they were sad, and the fact that it was his fault this time killed him. It wasn't Alex or Denny or any other guy who had broken her; this time it was George – George had betrayed her.

George slid his face behind his hands again. "Fuck. I really screwed up," he groaned.

"You need to fix this," Alex said.

"I tried!" George replied. "I can't fix it. It's unfixable! Izzie hates me and it's all my fault."

"George!" Alex uttering his first name was enough to make George bring his face back up.

"Listen to me," Alex continued. "Izzie needs you, okay? She needs you right now. And yes, you fucked up, but Izzie is having a rough time and she needs a friend. She's hurting and she can't do this alone. So you need to quit whining like some damn temper tantrum throwing two-year old! Prove to her how sorry you are, dammit, and make her forgive you."

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know! Buy her flowers or something."

George raised an eyebrow. "Flowers?"

"How should I know what to do? You're the girl here, remember?"

"Hey!" George retorted.

"Just do something nice for her and she'll forgive you. She's Izzie. That's what she does, she forgives people. Just turn on the charm, O'Malley."

"Alex, if I knew how to 'turn on the charm', as you call it, don't you think I would be back together with Callie by now? I suck at 'the charm', and I really suck at apologies. You have to help me."

Alex sat in silence for a moment, trying to think. "Okay, well, I do know one thing you could do," he said reluctantly.

George seemed hopeful. "You do?"

"Yeah. It's perfect, too. It's just… I was planning on doing it for, to her to win her back when Denny first came to the hospital. But you know, then she completely broke up with me in the most humiliating way possible, so I decided against it,"

Alex paused, but quickly regained himself. "But it's awesome. And better yet, it's simple. Cheap, sweet, and perfect for Izzie. Nothing too special, but it shows you care, you know?"

"I'll let you in on it, but you have to promise me one thing first."

"What?" asked George.

"You have to promise you will take care of her for me, and that you won't hurt her again," Alex said, surprising even himself by the seriousness of his tone.

"You mean, take care of her until you two get back together, right?" George grinned and despite himself, Alex smiled too.

"I promise."

"Well, okay then. Here is what you do…"

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Wow! That was a bit longer than I expected, but the next part will most likely be shorter. Thanks for reading guys! And please review!

♥ Love sillybillyxo


	2. Izzie

Here is the final part… enjoy! And thank you guys soo much for the reviews!

By the way, I totally stole this idea from the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I just thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen, and I also thought it would be a perfect gesture for Izzie. Sorry if you guys thought it was going to be some big huge thing lol.

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By the time George finally arrived home that night, it was 1:30am. He was expecting to go right upstairs and go straight to bed, but as soon as he opened the door to his house, his nostrils filled with a horrific scent.

It was a smell so terrifying, it sent fear trembling through every inch of George's tired body.

It was the smell of freshly baked cookies.

"Oh no," George thought, mentally kicking himself for causing this. "It's even worse than I thought. She's _baking_."

Fearing the worst, George entered his kitchen, his eyes immediately resting on a tray of cookies. Setting down the box he was carrying, he apprehensively approached the baked goods.

Oh shit. They were oatmeal raisin. That was never a good sign. George knew what oatmeal raisin cookies meant. They were not happy cookies.

Izzie had a way of depicting her moods through baked goods. When George saw cupcakes, gingerbread, or chocolate chip cookies, he knew Izzie was happy. But oatmeal raisin cookies were the kind of cookies Izzie baked when she was really, really pissed off. They weren't quite as bad as strawberry cheesecake, which Izzie baked when dealing with breakups, and they weren't near as bad as muffins, which she baked when coping with death. George had unfortunately been seeing a lot of muffins lately. But still, oatmeal raisin cookies were never something you wanted to see in Izzie's kitchen.

George grabbed a cookie, shoving the whole thing in his mouth at once and moaning at the taste. For something baked with such a bitter rage, they were pretty damn good cookies.

George lifted the box he had been carrying back into his arms and started up the stairs. Although he was unbelievably tired, all George really wanted to do right now was talk to Izzie, although he knew she would be sleeping by now.

George carefully approached Izzie's door, and peered under it, just in case she happened to be awake. Just as he thought, the lights were off. George prepared to walk back to his own room when he heard a noise which made him turn around. Very quietly, he pressed his ear against the Izzie's door. What he heard made his heart sink; it was the unmistakable sound of Izzie's muffled cries.

George lightly rapped on the old oak door, not bothering to wait for a response before slowly sliding it open. "Izzie?"

Izzie sat up in her bed, startled by the sound of her own name. But as soon as she saw George's head peeking through the crack, she turned away. "Go away George."

George flicked the light on, feeling waves of guilt wash over him as he saw Izzie's eyes red and puffy from crying, used tissues littering the floor space around her trash can. Ignoring her request, he entered her room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Setting down his box on the floor next to him, he darted his eyes back towards Izzie who still hadn't turned around to face him.

"Izzie, please. I'm sorry… please, just don't cry."

"George, would you please just leave? I already told you not to bother apologizing to me until tomorrow."

"Technically, it is tomorrow. It's almost quarter to two…"

"Please stop bugging me with your "technically's" George!" Izzie let out an exasperated sigh. "You have done enough, okay? Just go."

For a second, George almost gave up. He almost turned right around and walked back out of her room. But that's what George always did – he never fought for what he wanted, and look where it had gotten him? Alex was right, he needed to make Izzie listen to him.

"I'm not leaving," he said simply. Realizing he wasn't going to go away, Izzie sat up in her bed, finally looking at him. Despite her protests, George walked over and sat down on the bed beside her. She turned her face away from him as her eyes filled with tears, but George firmly grasped her shoulders and angled her back towards him.

"Look at me, okay?" George gently grabbed the bottom of Izzie's chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. Really, really, really sorry."

Izzie tried to resist, but George just pulled her closer. Finally she gave up and rested her head against his shoulder, letting her tears escape the corners of her eyes. "I wasn't thinking," George continued, running his hand soothingly up and down her back. "When I said that, Iz, I wasn't thinking. I was just scared for my dad. You told my parents to switch the surgery to Burke, and I knew they would listen to you. You're Izzie! People, especially my family, they are just way more likely to take advice from you than they are from me. I didn't know what else to do, I was desperate and I knew it was a mistake the second I said it. I just didn't know what else I could say to make them not believe you."

"I'm sorry, and I didn't mean it," he concluded.

Izzie sighed, finally breaking her silence. "I know you're sorry. I also know I'm overreacting. It's just – I just feel like I have no one on my side anymore, you know? Sometimes even _I_ don't believe I can be a surgeon, but you always did. At least, I always thought you did. Now, I feel like I just don't know. I am trying so hard to prove to everyone I can be more than a Candy Striper, but I feel like I'm just moving backwards."

Fuck. George really hated himself right now. "Listen to me, you are a great doctor. You're an amazing doctor. I've always thought so, and I still do. What I said today was no reflection on what I actually think of you. It was just rambling. It meant nothing."

Izzie just nodded wordlessly against him.

George sat there, holding Izzie in his arms. She had stopped crying at least. Feeling like he had said all he could say, he decided it was time. "I got you a present."

Izzie pulled away from him and sat up, crossing her arms over her chest. She tried to mask her excitement with a fake look of disinterest, but she was always bad at hiding her emotions. "Oh really?"

George moved off the bed and over towards her door, picking up the cardboard box he had been carrying and bringing it back to Izzie.

Izzie studied the box. It seemed ordinary enough; it defiantly didn't _look_ like a present. Inside were a dozen small, white bags, individually wrapped and rolled closed at the top. Izzie wrinkled her nose. "What is it?"

"It," George smiled, "is a bouquet of flours."

Confusion filled Izzie's face. "Those aren't…" All of a sudden, realization dawned on her, and a wide grin crept onto her lips. "Flours," she smiled.

"Because you're a baker!" George said, grinning like an idiot. "Get it?"

Izzie beamed at George and drew him into a hug. "Awww! Thank you!" she squealed. Pulling back, she looked at the box again.

"George, that has to be the cutest play on words I've ever read about, heard of, or seen on TV."

"So you like it then?"

"Of course! So much better than regular flowers, and practical too." Izzie seemed to be forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at George, and that was exactly what he'd planned on.

"Sooooo, do you forgive me?" George asked slyly, noticing the fact that Izzie was no longer crying, and was in fact beaming at him. He stuck out his bottom lip in his best imitation of the puppy-dog face. Luckily for him, he did a very good puppy-dog face.

"Okay, _fine_," she smiled. "I forgive you."

"Yay," George beamed. He silently thanked Alex as he pulled her into yet another hug.

"In all seriousness though, you better not bake anymore oatmeal raisin cookies with that flour."

Izzie faked innocence. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," George said. "I saw those cookies you baked before I came up here. Only happy food is to be made with this flour. I want to see some cupcakes."

Izzie laughed. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes."

"Okay, okay. No more angry cookies, I promise."

"Good, 'cause although they taste good, I feel really weird eating the angry cookies."

Izzie just laughed. "Hey, George? I'm wondering something."

"Shoot," he responded.

"Well, how is it you can think of something that cute to do for me, yet you still haven't managed to make up with your own girlfriend? It was very un-George of you."

"Well, I have a little confession to make. I didn't exactly think of it by myself. I sort of had a little help. But, I swear, the $11.99 spent was all me," George smiled.

"Help?" Izzie raised an eyebrow. "From who?"

"Uhh… Alex." Izzie's mouth dropped open a little.

"See, after you came home tonight, I went over to Joe's. Alex was there, and we kinda got to talking and… he helped me figure out a way to make up with you."

"So, you're telling me that _Alex_ thought of this? Alex, of all people." Izzie seemed stunned.

"Well, he said he thought of it a long time ago. And, well," George searched for the right words. "Um, do you remember that day you broke up with him in the scrub room?"

Izzie nodded. "Well, I guess before you did that, he was planning on doing this flours thing for you. He was trying to win you back from Denny."

Izzie sat in silence, trying to process it all. "I didn't think he cared so much."

"He really does care, Iz. He loves you."

"Alex never _loved_ me, George. That's a bit of a stretch. I mean, we were never even officially a couple. Just because I felt that way about him didn't mean he felt the same way about me."

George swallowed. "Well, the thing is, he told me tonight that he's still in love with you."

Izzie looked up at George abruptly. "He told you that?" George nodded. "Then… why…"

"Apparently, he was trying to push you away. Trying to prevent you from getting too close to him. He said he was scared about how he felt about you."

Izzie narrowed her eyes. "Did he really tell you all of this?"

"Every word, I swear. Which brings me to my next point: please keep this between us, because he could seriously kick the crap out of me."

"So… he had a reason for being such an ass?" Izzie really couldn't believe what she was hearing. She still loved Alex; just because she loved Denny didn't make that go away; despite her wishes, it seemed nothing would make _that_ go away. When he had kissed her last week, a part of her hadn't wanted to pull away. The man she loved was being unbelievably sweet, and he was kissing her, after all.

But the other part of her, the part that did make her pull away, was the part that loved Denny, and that was still grieving for Denny. The way she loved Denny really was incomparable to her feelings towards Alex; they were completely different kinds of love. Izzie loved how Denny made her feel about herself, and she respected how positive he stayed despite his circumstances. He was a good person, a strong person, and he didn't deserve the fate he was dealt. Maybe that was why she took it upon herself to try and save him. Denny was the kind of guy a girl was supposed to fall in love with, minus the deteriorating health. He was a Romeo, a prince on a white horse to ride off into the sunset with. He was, in every sense of the word, perfect.

But then, there was Alex. Alex: the man she loved and hated all at the same time. The one who caused her blood to boil and her cheeks to fill with colour with a single heated gaze. He had complete power over her and she hated him for it; he could build her up and send her crashing back down at his leisure, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She had never felt so passionately about anyone before. All she really wanted to do was to forget him, to stop caring about him, to stop loving him; she wanted to shut him out of her life, but it seemed impossible. No matter how many times he hurt her, she just couldn't stop her feelings towards him. She couldn't choose who it was she fell in love with, and as fate would have it, she seemed to have fallen for the worst possible man alive.

But now, Alex loved her back. Now, he had a reason for hurting her, and to Izzie, that changed everything.

The sound of George laughing broke through Izzie's thoughts. "Well, that's what guys are like. We see commitment, and we run like hell. We begin to care, and we push the feelings away. It's just what we do."

Izzie laughed. "We?"

George rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, that's what _most_ guys do. For some reason, I'm just not like regular guys, okay? I admit it."

"No," Izzie smiled genuinely at him. "No, you're not."

"I really am sorry, Izzie. I felt like shit all night. I still do."

"I know. It's okay now. Let's just forget it ever happened, okay?" George nodded. That defiantly sounded like a good idea.

"It's late, and we have to work tomorrow. We should get some sleep," Izzie said. She got up out of her bed and turned off the lights in her room as George shrugged off his coat and shoes. He pulled back the covers and slid under Izzie's fluffy duvet. Girls really did have the comfiest beds, he decided, letting the warmth engulf his body.

"Mmmm… 'night George," Izzie said as she got back into bed. She was feeling uncharacteristically hopeful. Sure, she needed time, but maybe one day, there was a chance her and Alex could finally be happy together. George wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"Goodnight Izzie." George closed his eyes and smiled happily into his pillow. Things were going to be alright.


End file.
